"U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin [on Wednesday, March 28th] began conducting a trial without a jury on Gucci’s infringement claim in Manhattan. Gucci, a unit of Paris-based PPR, sued in 2009 claiming that Los Angeles-based Guess was selling items in stores and online with logos that are 'studied imitations of the Gucci trademarks.' The trademarks include a green and red stripe design, a square G, the designer’s name in flowing script and a diamond pattern with repeating interlocking G’s, according to Gucci’s court filings. 'It’s about a massive, complicated scheme to knock off Gucci’s best-known and iconic designs,' Louis Ederer, Gucci’s lawyer, told the judge today. The company claims that $221 million worth of Guess products infringed Gucci designs.... The trial is expected to last at least two weeks."

"[On Thursday, March 29th, the Second Circuit handed down a decidedly pro-trademark owner decision in Louis Vuitton v. Ly USA.] The defendants were convicted of trafficking in counterfeit [Louis Vuitton] goods, conspiring to do so, and smuggling. The appealed all the bad things that happened to them in the civil case — massive damages, attorneys’ fees, the usual. There were two key holdings, both buffeted by extensive and thoughtful discussion. One was that there’s just about no way the Circuit Court will second-guess a District Court’s refusal to enter a stay of a civil action pending resolution of parallel criminal proceedings, and the court is not shy about saying so.... The second is an important, and more groundbreaking (if unsurprising), decision on an important question: Once the court awarded $3 million in statutory damages, was it allowed to also award over half a million dollars in attorneys’ fees and costs? [The Second Circuit panel] conclude[d] "that an award of attorney’s fees is available under section 1117(a) in 'exceptional' cases even for those plaintiffs who opt to receive statutory damages under section 1117(c)...."

For a refresher on the difference between run-of-the-mill trademark infringement, like that primarily at issue in the Gucci v. Guess face-off, and trademark counterfeiting, revisit this old LAW OF FASHION chestnut.

"Dolce & Gabbana go bananas over Dolce... and Banana"(Telegraph)"Costume jeweller Mijou Beller has been trading under the name from her seaside location near Cape Town, South Africa, for 12 years, but has incurred the wrath of the Milanese fashion label, Dolce & Gabbana.... Beller has been served with a lawsuit by the Italian brand, even though she has since modified the name of her store - which was unsurprisingly a hit with tourists photographing themselves before her shopfront - to simply, 'Banana.' [D&G] accuses Beller of 'objectionable conduct' and 'diluting' [its brand.] 'The name Dolce and Banana makes a mockery of the well-known trademark Dolce & Gabbana,' read the complaint, filed to the Cape Town High Court...."

Notice that D&G has emphasized D&B's alleged dilution of its brand, rather than infringement. To understand why, revisit this recent LAW OF FASHION ® post on Coach's failed dilution argument before the Federal Circuit.

"ADAPTATIONS, a/k/a blatant knockoffs, have always been a part of fashion, but they used to occur at a more civilized pace.... [At Zara's new flagship store in Midtown,] echoes from the spring 2012 runways are everywhere... red pump with tailfin à la Prada, yup; Pierre Hardyesque contrast clutch, sure; Navajo print in sequins on a miniskirt, mm-hmm. But could those also be next fall’s collections peeping round the bend? Bid a feeble hola to an olive-green military parka with fur hood and snap-out vest inside; inauguration-appropriate sturdy sheath dresses; patchwork-plaid flannel shirts. [The company's] confusing taxonomy and slipshod customer service clearly don’t matter to trendettes in search of bird prints, flapper fringe and peplums on the cheap. 'Sad Victoria Beckham,' my pal said, fingering one of the last. And then, espying a black ankle-strap wedge: 'Theyskens for Theory.'"

"The Kardashian sisters don't sell their clothing and perfume in China, and you can't buy authentic J. Crew khakis here. But both names are already trademarked by Chinese businesspeople looking to profit from American enterprises that want to tap China's booming retail market. Extortion? Nope. It's called 'trademark squatting.' And it's legal in China, where trademarks generally are awarded to those who are first to register them with government authorities. If these and other U.S. companies want to use their own names, they probably will have to pay the Chinese holder for the rights...."

"Alexander Wang is pushing back against a former employee’s sweatshop allegations. The fashion house told WWD that Wenyu Lu, who sued the company for poor working conditions at its factory on 386 Broadway here, was fired for bullying his co-workers. 'The claims regarding sweatshop conditions are completely untrue,' said an Alexander Wang spokesman. 'In reality, this case was filed by an individual who was let go by the company as a result of serious harassment issues. We stand by our decision to promote a safe workplace environment for all employees regardless of false claims that may be waged against us in retaliation.'... The lawsuit, which was [refiled in] New York Federal Court on Friday [following a dismissal without prejudice in] Queens County Supreme Court, alleged that Wang violated the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as New York State labor laws covering overtime compensation and minimum wage."

For some reason, the new federal-court complaint in this case (let alone the even newer "First Amended Complaint," filed on March 26th) has been extremely elusive. So LAW OF FASHION ® finally sucked it up and paid to download the latter document from the court's website. It's posted here; you're welcome.

"Aéropostale, a clothing store in the Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe, hasn't responded to charges that it isn't paying Santa Fe's 'living wage' -- now the highest in the nation at $10.29 an hour -- so the city is suing the New York City-based chain.... This is only the second time the city has had to litigate its 2002 Living Wage Ordinance.... [The] implementation [of the 'living wage' law] was held up for six months by a lawsuit brought by the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce and several restaurant and hotel groups [but survived judicial scrutiny.] The city minimum wage has increased, based on rises in the Consumer Price Index's West Region, almost every year on March 1. [T]his past March 1, the city upped the minimum wage to $10.29 an hour -- a nickel more than San Francisco's minimum wage, the second highest in the nation, at $10.24...."

A powerful video interview with a fair labor advocate who explains, among other things, how she and other factory workers were jailed for 30 days for protesting their working conditions; each was held in a 2' by 4' cell. She goes on to explain that by giving this interview, she risks a three-year prison sentence.

This story comes just weeks after the tragic news that three Cambodian factory workers were shot during a peaceful demonstration for better working conditions, which LAW OF FASHION mentioned last week.

"23-year-old Miss Universe Canada finalist [Jenna Talackova] was disqualified from the competition after it was discovered she had undergone sexual reassignment surgery, reports CTV.... According to a statement from Miss Universe Canada, Talackova was disqualified because 'she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form. We do, however, respect her goals, determination and wish her the best.'... Talackova told CTV she's 'not giving up' and is consulting a lawyer...."

Given the outfits that tend to show up at Miss [insert anything] pageants, LOF isn't entirely sure this qualifies as a "fashion law" story. But here at LAW OF FASHION ® (unlike at the Miss Universe pageant), all reasonable doubts are resolved in favor of inclusion. Incidentally, since Talackova was booted, she has received a "skyrocketing" showing of support from individuals and organizations around the world. It's not to late for you, too, to do the right thing, by signing this change.org petition in protest of Talackova's disqualification. Alternatively, your social activism could take the form of not buying pageant owner Donald Trump's new fragrance... which you shouldn't be buying anyway, for many reasons, including the tycoon's penchant for needlessly killing exotic animals.

"Today in Abercrombie & Fitch news, four wrestling-themed 'Webersodes' have appeared on Bruce Weber's Facebook page, explicitly revealing what everyone knew all along: A&F ads are kind of gay.... Though Weber has shot muscly advertising campaigns for Abercrombie for more than ten years—and what little clothing the young men in the videos are wearing are clearly branded with A&F logos—a rep told Shophound that the videos are not part of an official ad campaign. So for the time being, it looks like A&F will just continue to nod and wink at its customers."

This story raises at least two issues -- and probably a great many more than that. But let's stop and consider just the following questions: 1) Was the video 'unofficially' condoned by the company, in an effort to court gay customers -- perhaps a tiny, little baby step toward greater diversity for a brand known infamous for classism, racism, and general exclusion-wherever-possible -- without alienating its less open-minded customers? 2) If the video was made without any involvement on the company's part, are we looking at a potential trademark (perhaps "false endorsement") dispute -- along with whatever else we might be looking at in this video?

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